Bowling-alley appliance



Feb. 24,192.5. v'1,'5213'04 B. B. RAY

BOWLING .ALLEY APFLIANCE Filed March 2, 1923` INVENTOR Patented Feb. Z4, i925.

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LHJMQ BAKER B. RAY, 0F MNSFIIELD, Oil-1110.

BOWLING-ALLEY APPLIANCE.

Application led .March 2, .1.923. Serial No. 622,416.

T0 all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, BAKER B. RAY, a citizen of the United Sta-tes, residing at Mansfield, in the county of Richland and State of Ohio, have invented a new and Improved Bowling-Alley Appliance, of which the following is a. specification.

The invention generally relates to bowl ing alley appliances, and more particularly to Jthat class of such appliances inwhich means is provided for indicating technical fouls 7 made by bowlers using the alleys.

In bowling, bowlers often commit technical fouls by sliding over the foul-line indicated upon the alleys, this due to the fact that most bowlers prefer to take a short run, ending with the slide, upon the surface of the alley or its approach preparatory to delivering the ball. The bowling rulesprovide a penalty for such fouls and the particular rule is strictly enforced during match games. It is therefore necessary to employ special judges to observe the delivery of each contestant that he may be fairly-charged with all fouls he com-V mits.` l am aware that devices have been provided for automatically recording these fouls with the end in view to eliminate the employment of special judges. but these devices are objectionable because of their complicated nature and the manner in which they must be installed, it often happening that they are falsely operated by accidental engagement, stick or otherwise become in-.

capacitated just when needed most.

Therefore, it is the general object of my invention to provide means by the use of which a single judge may observe the delivery of the bowlers on a plurality of alleys and quickly and accurately mechanically indicate the technical fouls made by them.

More specifically, the invention has for its object to provide a self-contained device of the type stated adapted for use by a. single judge 7 which is of a simple and inexpensive construction, readily appli cable to andremovable from position upon or adjacent to the allevs for observing the Vdelivery of the bowlers or respective ones of a plurality thereof, and wherein is provided mechanically operated means for indicating that a 'foul or fouls have been committed and upon which alley or alleys.

l/Vith the above and other objects in View, the invention further resides in those novel details of construction, combination and arrangement of parts, all of which will be rst fully described, then be particularly pointed out in the appended claims, refers ence being had to the accompanying drawing, in which l Figure 1 is a detail perspective View of the invention inv use. j

Figure 2 Vis an enlarged detail longitudinal section taken on the line 2 2 on Figure 3. K f

Figure 3 is an enlarged detail cross section of the housing portion of the device, the section being taken on the line 3-3 0n Figure 2. j

Figure l is a rear elevation of the housing portion of the device.

In the drawing' in which like numerals of reference indicate like parts in all of the figures, 1-1 represent side board standards between the upper ends of which is formed the housing portion of my improved appliance` The bottom of the housing is indicated at 2 and its bottom is cut out or notched at its front edge as at 8 to form a shoulder abutment for accommodating ythe closed position of the housing front cover L hinged as at 5 in cooperative relation with the housing top 6. The housing back is indicated by the numeral 7.

A cross shaft 8 is positioned in and transversely of the housing by reason of the same having end bearing as at 9 in Suitable holes bored through the side standards 1. It will be observed that the length of this cross shaft is such that each end thereof falls short of passing entirely through the respective side board 1, the surplus of the bearing holes being plugged as at l() by a wood core or with putty for the purpose of neat appearance.

A. plurality of indicator members are mounted within the housing in a manner whereby they will be hidden from view in an inactive position but which are capable of being extended to an active position for indicating a foul upon a certain alley in a manner later to be described. Each of these indicators, six being shown in the drawing, are composed of a small apertured part 11 to be loosely mounted upon the cross shaft 8 and a large indicating part 12 upon both faces of which are fixed indicating indicia such as numbers and which are indicated by the numeral 13. It is to be understood that when six of these indicators are used, as shown in the drawing, they identify six bowling alleys by the numbers fixed to the indicating parts 12 and repre sent the particular alleys.

It will be observed that a like face of all of the indicating parts 12 of the indicator' members are cut down or bevelled in like manner and in like direction for a purpose later to be described, and all of the indicator members are spaced apart from each other and in suitable relation within the housing and upon the shaft 8 by spacer sleeve mem-A bers 15.

By reason of forming the indicating members with the bevel, a substantial bearing portion is provided and the weight of the indicating portion necessary to be moved in effecting the indicating action is greatly reduced and it should also be observed that a substantial space is provided between the lowermost ends of each of said members (see Figure 2 of the drawing). In this space provided between the lower ends of the indicating portions 12, by reason of the bevel thereof, are positioned angle supports 16, one for each indicating member, to each of which an operating lever' 17 is loosely pivoted through the medium of the split rivet pivots 18. The operating levers extend rearwardly from their pivotal conneetions with the brackets 16 and pass through the individual slotways 19 formed therefor in the rear wall 7 of the housing, the projec-ted ends of the said levers each being provided with a turned-over finger engaging portion 2O (see Figures 2 and 3 of the drawing).

A screw eye 21 is secured into the portion 11 of each indicating member, in line with the longitudinal axis thereof, and a connecting link 22 connects that screw eye with the operating lever 17 in the manner clearly illustrated in Figure 3 of the drawing, so that when pressure is applied Aupon the turned-over portion 2O of the lever 17, the lever will be forced down to the position illustrated in dotted lines in that figure, thus causing an extending of the indicating member in the manner indicated by the dotted lines on that figure and in position for very clearly displaying the numbers indicated at 13 fixed upon the reverse faces thereof.

It will be observed from Figures 1 and 3 of the drawing, that the portions of the side standards 1` which cooperate in providing the housing are shaped to follow, as closely as possible, as at 28, the curvature ofthe indicating members sov as to be in cross alignment with the foremost edges of allofthe members, it being understood thatv the indicatngmenlbers are, of course, in, cross alignment with each other' Then the front cover 4t is down in the closed position, as illustratedin Figure 3 ofthe dravvfinggA the curved portions 241 of the sides 25 of that cover correspond with `the curve of the side standards 1 `so as to closely engageV the same in a neat fit and in a manner whereby the sides 25 will provide an ex- Vtension o'f the housing sides, the portion 26 will form a continuation of the top G of the housing and the portion 27 will fill the notched portion 3 and form a continuation of the bottom 2 of the housing. By reason of so shaping theseparts, it will be readily apparent from Figure 3 of the drawing, that when the parts are in the normal position, with the indicating members hanging by gravity to the vertical position illustrated in full lines in that figure, the said members will be completely hidden from view from the side thereof, the cover being raised to the position illustrated in Figure 1. The shape of the parts being such, however, that when one of the indicating members is moved to the position illustrated in dotted lines on Figure 3, and in full lines on Figure 1, all but a very small portion thereof will be projected beyond the housing so as to clearly display the numbers marked upon that indicating member and identify the particular alley.

In operation, the appliance is adapted to be positioned adjacent one of the bowling alleys and in cross alignment with the foul line of that alley, or the plurality of alleys the operator of the appliance is supposed to observe. For convenience of the operator, who sits upon a chair or stool (not shown), a foot rest 28 may be provided between the side standards 1 and adjacent the lower ends thereof, rand for securely holding the appliance in position upon the floor, in position asv above described, a pair of oppositely disposed lock members 29 may be provided, each vertically pivoted as at 30 to the respective side standard 1v and including a hook portion 31 adapted to be inserted through the respective one ofthe slots 32 formed in the floor 33 and turned at a right angle to the slot to prevent'its removal. By the use of these lock members 29, the appliance maybe securely locked to the floor in proper position when it is desired to operatev the same and is readily re movable from relation with the alleys when itis no longer desired to judge the fouls upon thosealleys.

In operatingthe-appliance, the operator closely observes the alleys over which heis to judge andy upon seeinga foul committed upon that alley, mostcommonly the sliding of' a bowler over the vfoul line, he will'press down on the particular operating lever 17 controlling the action of the indicating membe-r identifying that alley' soy as to project that indicating member to display the numeral affixed to theop'posite'faces thereof, see Figure. 1, thus clearly showingV to' the bowlers and .spectators he'has committed a foul, that the scorers may properly record the same.

It may also be desirable to provide an audible signal which the operator can sound upon the making of a foul so as to attract attention to the displaying of the indicating member. For this reason I have illustrated a bell 34 or other audible signal fixed to one of the side walls within the housing and which has electrical connection through the connector plug 35 in the rear wall 7 of the housing and the wires 36, with a suitable switch 37 fixed upon the foot rest 28, and with a suitable source of energy for actuat ing the signal when the circuit is closed by the said switch 37 at the instance of the operator. While I have not illustrated any particular source of energy it should be un-l derstood that a battery or the like could be carried by the standards l, if desired, so that the whole appliance would be selfwcontained and readily movable from place to place without the necessity of breaking any connections by the removal of any parts thereof.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, it is thought that the novel details of construction, manner of operation and the advantages of my invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art to which it relates.

What I claim is:

1. An appliance of the class described comprising a housing portion, standards for supporting the housing portion having slotways therein, a cross shaft mounted in the housing portion, indicating members swingably mounted on the shaft and having one face of each thereof bevelled and indicating indicia thereon identifying certain bowling alleys and adapted to gravitate to a nonindicating position within the connes of vthe housing portion, supporting brackets mounted in the housing portion and extending up into the spaces formed between the indicating members by the bevels thereof, operating levers pivoted to the brackets and extending out through the slotways formed therefor in the housing portion, and link connections between the levers and indicatextending up into the space formed between a pair of indicator members by the bevel of one thereof, and lever and link devices pivoted to the brackets and connected to the indicating members to cause an extending thereof when desired to indicate a foul committed on the alley identified by the member extended.

3. An appliance of the class described comprising a housing portion, standards for supporting the housing portion, a cover hinged to the housing portion and forming a continuation of the housing when closed, indicating devices movably mounted within the housing having one face of each thereof bevelled and having thereon indicating indicia identifying certain bowling alleys, brackets supported by the housing and each extending up into the space formed between a pair of indicator members by the bevel of one thereof, lever and link devices pivoted to the brackets and connected to the indicating members to cause an extending thereof when desired to indicate a foul committed on the alley identified by the member extended, the opposing edges of the housing portion and the front cover and the foremost edges of all of the indicating members being in perfect cross alignment when the parts are in the non-indicating position.

Signed by me this 24th day of February 1923.

Y BAKER B. RAY.

Witnesses:

EDWARD MGCAMBRIDGE, RUTH BoNHAM. 

